Bulgarians headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a president, in the third national election of the day covered in this edition and the one most directly shaped by the war in Ukraine. The campaign centred on economic hardship and on drone attacks against commercial vessels off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, which have pushed maritime security into a presidential race in an EU and NATO member state.
The field is a record 27 candidate pairs, but the contest is expected to narrow to two people. Acting President Iliana Iotova, backed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party, faces Andrey Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister backed by pro-Western opposition parties. The vote is the first major test for Radev’s party since its triumph in the April parliamentary elections, the Associated Press reported.
The two leaders differ most clearly on the war. Both condemned the recent Black Sea drone strikes, but Iotova has emphasised diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine while Gyurov supports stronger cooperation with Kyiv and closer alignment with pro-Western parties. The strikes have already prompted Sofia to ask partners for help strengthening its maritime security, a request whose answer may depend on who holds the presidency.
About 6.59 million citizens are eligible, voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, with 613 polling stations in 60 countries for Bulgarians abroad, according to figures reported from the Central Election Commission. A first round winner needs a majority of votes cast with turnout above half the electorate. Turnout has been projected below 40 percent and no candidate is expected to clear the bar, so a runoff between the top two is expected on Sunday, November 1, with preliminary results due on Monday.